2 killed, 79 injured in three separate road accidents

Two persons were killed and 79 including children and women were injured in three separate road accidents in Cooch Behar and Murshidabad on Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning a bus packed with around 65 passengers overturned after hitting a road side tree at Jamaldaha in Cooch Behar. Most of the commuters are residents of Dinhata and Cooch Behar and they were returning from Bihar where they work in brick kilns. They were returning home to cast their votes on May 5.

People those witnessed the accident told the police that the bus was in its top speed. It seems that the driver had failed to control the vehicle after taking a sharp turn and hit the road side tree. The bus turned turtle with commuters crying for help.

Local people initiated the rescue work and it was later joined by the police. Electric cutters were used to cut open a portion of the bus. More than 48 people including some children and women were taken to local hospital with serious injuries. A 46-year-old man Nuronbi Miya was declared brought dead when taken to the hospital while 19 others were shifted to Jalpaiguri District Hospital as their condition had deteriorated.

Police seized the bus. The driver and the helper were also injured.

In another road accident at Ramthanga area in Cooch Behar, 30 Trinamool Congress workers were injured when the truck in which they were heading towards Mathabhanga to attend the Mamata Banerjee’s rally.

The injured persons were admitted in Falakata Hospital, Jalpaiguri Hospital and North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.

In another incident at Raghunathganj in Murshidabad, a 24-year-old youth Prakash Singh, who is a civic police volunteer, was killed after being hit by a truck when he was riding pillion to bring blood for the ailing mother of his friend. His friend was also injured. Singh was declared brought dead when taken to Jangipur Sub-divisional Hospital and his friend was fighting for his life.